Vision of Youth For Southasia

Articulated by Youth Participants of 1 st Southasian Commemoration

The Challenge to Youth of Southasia: A Five-Minute Video on My Vision for Southasia if I am the President / Prime Minister of my Country

The Response

198 youth from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka responded with videos of daring and inspiring Visions for Southasia!
The Vision encapsulated below is from some of these videos Encompassing and reflecting the sentiments and the Visions enshrined in the 198 videos!
The collage of visions articulated by young people from across Southasia represent the historical aspirations of Southasian people and some strategies we might consider to achieve a cooperative future.

VISION OF YOUTH FOR SOUTHASIA

1. Southasia is naturally without borders. Therefore, instead of enforcing boundaries we ought to indulge in a coexistence which is strung along economic, political, social, and cultural lines.
2. We must build strong foundations for such a future for which internal development and universal education are essential. To that end we must focus on raising national employment, creating native institutions of learning and investing in regional student-exchange programs and digital school networks.
3. We acknowledge the truism that peace requires dialogue and freedom and the need for cross-border mobility and people-to-people diplomacy.
This would become the soil to nurture peaceful resolutions to existing conflicts between countries.
4. Embodying this principle would help us navigate times of crisis together like the environmental catastrophe which hangs over our heads.
5. This is at the heart of our collective futures and one which requires urgent and concerted solutions.
6. We have to become very serious about joint river programs, regional emission reduction projects, and diversifying energy sources.
7. There is a need for a common vision of economic integration, sometimes through a Southasian Economic Bloc. This would follow and inform ecologically sensitive models of economic development on the national level, spearheaded by a young generation of educated, connected, and innovative people.
8. Soft-borders and linkages by sea would promote free trade, based on equality and shared concerns rather than domination.
9. The reinvigoration of SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) is an embodiment of these visions.

Initiatives Required to Realise the Vision of Youth for Southasia

The exercises of providing platforms to youth are necessary. They ought to be repeated.
The assumption of a leader’s responsibility brings seemingly distant issues to the fore and closer to our homes. This provides the youth with the impetus to apprehend a larger and more intimate reality such that they may identify erosions at its structure and tirelessly work together to sustain, improve, and change our world.
Let’s stop seeing each other as divided neighbours and start acting as united families…there are no small countries, just strong partnerships. No poor people, no poor countries, only untapped potentials.

Opportunity to Collaborate / Participate Across Southasia

In Events and Programs by organisations in Southasian Countries

Over 500 organisations, youth associations, trade unions, professional bodies, institutions and civil society groups and volunteers are expected to become members of Doyens of Peace.

Any Member organising any event / program / activity that could be relevant for Southasia can announce their Event and solicit collaboration / participation from other Members. Details will be available on Doyens Website and circulated through a Fortnightly Newsletter.